A Day's Elephant Hunting in Essex. 33
river-bed rises before us some seventeen feet in height.
Running from right to left until they disappear in the un-
excavated ground, and pass away beneath modern Ilford,
are horizontal bands of different coloured earths. These
successive layers of loam and sand and gravel (says our
guide) represent successive changes in the sediments
brought down by the old and now vanished river which
once flowed over the spot. In fact, we here have a lesson
as to how land is made. Beginning at the base, there is a
clayey earth, containing freshwater shells. Then comes a
bright yellow sand: this too contains river shells. Above
this comes gravel.
The spot is romantic with the dust of ancient zoological
races. It is classic in the records of geological research.
It was in this very layer of bright yellow sand that the
first perfect skull of the British mammoth (Elephas primi-
genius) was found in the year 1863, to the intense interest
of the geologic public. It was discovered by the workmen
about fifteen feet below the surface. The cranium was
nearly entire, the upper portion of the left side alone being
slightly injured from the blow of a pick or a spade when
the workmen unconsciously came near it. Associated with
it were remains of the fleece-clad rhinoceros, great fossil
ox, and numerous freshwater shells. Luckily, Sir Antonio
Brady was then, as now, close at hand to assist in the dif-
ficult and hazardous process of extricating the remains in
good condition. The tusk of the mammoth measured
eight feet eight inches, from the point to the insertion into
the socket. From that time to this remains have been
unearthed year by year, and this Uphall Brickfield has thus
become celebrated for its fossil relics of wild and wondrous
denizens of the early Thames Valley. Not only were fleece-
clad elephants and rhinoceroses found here, telling, perhaps,
of an Arctic climate in these latitudes ; side by side with
them, strange to say, have been found the African hippopo-
tamus and elephant—animals of a southern and subtropi-
cal clime. What could this mean? Why this astonishing
assemblage of animals from diverse climates mingled in
one common grave? We shall shortly see.